Miri

The Miri belong to the group of peoples of the Nuba Mountains, a region of hills in central Sudan where communities with distinct languages and customs have kept a life of their own among rocks and valleys. The Miri language is related to those of neighbors in the Kadu family, such as Krongo, a sign of roots shared across the region.

Over time, the Miri have remained in their villages, spread out in clusters that follow the varieties of speech: Katcha, Kadugli and Miri. Little has been recorded in writing about their earlier history, and much of it lives in the memory of families and in the names of the places where they live.

Miri life revolves around the land. They grow sorghum and corn, the staples of their diet, and raise animals around the villages. In the rainy season the paths become harder, because roads are almost nonexistent and bringing goods or services to the villages is a challenge.

The villages form small communities united by a common language. There are no known schools or health services in the region, so families depend greatly on one another and on what the land itself provides. The distance from the rest of the country has shaped a people accustomed to living with the essentials and counting on the help of those nearby.

Most Miri identify as Muslim. At the same time, there are those among them who follow the Christian faith, forming a small but present minority, and a significant share keep the traditional religions of the people.

These traditional practices remain a strong spiritual attachment in many homes, coexisting with the faith professed by the majority and shaping the way people understand the sacred and the protection of the family. For many, being Miri and holding on to these roots go together, and any path of approach with the gospel must be born of respect for this heritage and for the dignity of each family.

The Miri language has a writing system, and Scriptures already exist in it: portions of the Bible and the New Testament, completed around 2019 and 2020. This material can be read in Bible apps and on online platforms, but online access is difficult in a region with no roads and few services. For this reason, audio and video resources have special value: there is recorded Bible teaching, the film on the life of Jesus and adaptations of the Gospels in the people’s language, which make it possible to hear the Word in the language of the heart even without knowing how to read.

Isolation is the first barrier: without solid roads, especially in the rainy season, few reach the villages with the message of Jesus or with the support a new community of faith needs. Added to this are the weight of traditional practices, which remain a spiritual stronghold in families, and the predominantly Muslim context, in which the Christian faith remains a discreet minority. A small population dispersed across many villages makes outreach slower still.

The Miri need roads, schools and health care, which today reach their villages little or not at all. The difficulty of transportation weighs on trade, education and the care of those who fall ill, especially in the rainy season.

There is also a need for community and discipleship for those who already follow Jesus, who form a small minority, and for people willing to live near the people, learn their language and walk with them with patience and respect. The hope is that the Word, already available in the Miri language, will find open hearts and strengthened families.

There are concrete reasons for hope among the Miri. The New Testament already exists in their language, and the Word is available in audio, video and apps, which helps reach those who cannot read as well. There are Christians of Miri origin, though few, who can be witnesses within their own families and villages. The written language and the material already produced are a foundation for faith to grow in the people’s own language.